Eagles’ Jason Kelce has ‘routine clean-out’ elbow surgery; source says he’ll return before opener

Jason Kelce had a “routine clean-out” surgery on his elbow Tuesday after missing the Eagles’ morning practice because of discomfort.

There was no timetable given, but an Eagles spokesperson said the hope is that the surgery will allow the 34-year-old center to make a quick recovery. According to The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, the expectation is for Kelce to be back in time for the season opener against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 11. The typical timetable after arthroscopic surgery is roughly two to four weeks.

Kelce has dealt with elbow injuries in the past and routinely wears a substantial brace on his left elbow during practices and games. The veteran center hasn’t missed a game since 2014, leading all NFL centers with 122 consecutive starts. His starts streak is fifth-longest in Eagles history behind Randy Logan, Jerry Sisemore, Herm Edwards, and Jon Runyan. If he doesn’t miss time this season, Kelce could surpass every player except Runyan, who set the team record with 144 straight starts.

“This is something that I’ve dedicated my life and career toward, so it’s really important to me,” Kelce said in December when asked about the streak. “If I can, to go out there and play. I feel a sense of responsibility not just to my teammates but to myself to do things the right way and to put everything I have into it.”

“I’ve been lucky the last few years to be able to play a lot of games and consecutive snaps and everything like that,” he added later. “The more continuity you have, especially at a position where you’re in charge of making calls and trying to put guys in the right position, it’s huge.”

Kelce, a four-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler, missed the first day of training camp and was limited in the following few days with what the team listed as “COVID progression,” which was described as a ramp-up period after missing conditioning time because of a COVID-19 diagnosis just before camp.

With Kelce sidelined, rookie Cam Jurgens has taken all the first-team reps at center. The second-round pick out of Nebraska has shown encouraging signs during training camp even though the team selected him with the hope that this would be a redshirt year behind a healthy Kelce.

“He’s strong, he’s athletic, he’s physical,” Kelce said. “He’s a very athletic player. For the most part, he’s exactly what we thought we were getting. He’s a strong, athletic, fast kid. But he’s also a very attention-to-detail [person], he’s locked in mentally. He’s got a great temperament.”

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Jurgens, 22, started three seasons with the Cornhuskers and was projected to be similar to Kelce as an NFL player. Kelce (6-foot-3, 295 pounds) has considered retirement in each of the last few seasons, and the expectation when Jurgens (6-3, 290) was drafted was to give the rookie at least one season with Kelce serving as a mentor.

“I try to sit next to him and Isaac [Seumalo] as much as I can,” Jurgens said. “Those are the smartest dudes in there. They’re just really cerebral.”

Whether Jurgens has to fill in for Kelce during the regular season or will only be the recipient of more first-team reps for a few weeks while Kelce prepares for the season opener, the Eagles’ coaching staff has been encouraged by what Jurgens has shown during the early part of training camp.

“Honestly, the way he moves [is impressive],” Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen said last week. “We saw in college the screen game, but when he works double teams with the guards inside, just the way he gets those double teams off and comes off to the next level is really impressive. So, really excited about Cam.”